'The LDS Church tracks about 6,500 anti-LDS Web sites'

[_MormonMendacity]

The truth will make Mormons free. More are being freed every day, in fact. Paranoia can be very telling.

[_Runtu]

It may surprise you to know that the D&C mandates Church tracking and copying of anti-Mormon publications to use as a testament in the hereafter. The Church has the world's largest paper and electronic copy of anti-Mormon publications in the world. But, nobody is employed to read or act upon what is copied and deposited in the archives. [The Church is about 10 years behind the commercial world in data mining, however. The church's approach to technology is very very dated; the Family History system (which generates the IGI), for instance, is not a real time system.] The archives are available to researchers. Hugh Nibley has written about this library and what the Church does with it.

A couple of questions:

1. If this is true, why has Peterson so often ridiculed as "paranoid" those who have been unnerved at repeated visits from church headquarters to their websites and blogs? The experience of "Scottishboy" suggests that the church does provide what it gathers to local leaders for action.

2. What's the point of gathering the truth as a "testament"? As truth_dancer mentioned, most exmormon websites, even the angriest of them, generally post the truth about the church.

[_rcrocket]

It may surprise you to know that the D&C mandates Church tracking and copying of anti-Mormon publications to use as a testament in the hereafter. The Church has the world's largest paper and electronic copy of anti-Mormon publications in the world. But, nobody is employed to read or act upon what is copied and deposited in the archives. [The Church is about 10 years behind the commercial world in data mining, however. The church's approach to technology is very very dated; the Family History system (which generates the IGI), for instance, is not a real time system.] The archives are available to researchers. Hugh Nibley has written about this library and what the Church does with it.

A couple of questions:

1. If this is true, why has Peterson so often ridiculed as "paranoid" those who have been unnerved at repeated visits from church headquarters to their websites and blogs? The experience of "Scottishboy" suggests that the church does provide what it gathers to local leaders for action.

2. What's the point of gathering the truth as a "testament"? As truth_dancer mentioned, most exmormon websites, even the angriest of them, generally post the truth about the church.

I don't pretend to be a spokesman for the Church. I can only report on what the Church has been commanded to do. As far as I can tell, few people really use the collection for research except for the truly historical accounts.

As far as "repeated visits from church headquarters," I don't speak for Dr. Peterson either. I don't know what you and he are talking about frankly. Are your questions merely rhetorical or do you really think I am a spokesman for Dr. Peterson and the Church.

P

[_Rollo Tomasi]

It may surprise you to know that the D&C mandates Church tracking and copying of anti-Mormon publications to use as a testament in the hereafter.

The D&C does no such thing. D&C 123 is not designated as a "revelation," but is a letter from Joseph Smith while he was in Liberty Jail. Moreover, the language therein suggests something less than a "mandate." The first verse reads (bold mine for emphasis):

"And again, we would suggest for your consideration the propriety of all the saints gathering up a knowledge of all the facts, and suffereings and abuses put upon them by the people of this State."

In verse 4, which dicusses forming a "committee" (to which the Church cited when the SCMC was exposed back in 1992), the language is less than absolute:

"And perhaps a committee can be appointed to find out these things and to take statements and affidavits; and also to gather up the libelous publications that are afloat."

The context of D&C 123 makes it clear that the purpose was to seek redress for abuses suffered at the hands of Missourians, not to "mandate" that the Church now and forever gather up anti-Mormon information for a "testament" against its perceived enemies (or, more importantly, against those members who would dare to speak unorthodox ideas).

In addition, the three original members of the "committee" described in verse 4, Almon W. Babbitt, Erastus Snow, and Robert B. Thompson, have written that a primary purpose of the committee was to gather anti-Mormon claims in order to refut them in a church history to be compiled.

In its August 1992 statement explaining the recently exposed SCMC, the FP cited D&C 123 as authority for the SCMC. To do this takes the entire section out of context in two ways: First, it relates to information of abuses suffered by the saints in Missouri in order to seek redress from the federal government; Second, anti-Mormon information was collected by the three gentlemen of the committee in order to refut them in a church history compilation. D&C 123 was never intended to gather dirt on actual members who did not toe the party line, which is essentially the mission of today's SCMC. D&C 123 has been twisted and spun in a way that was never intended.

The Church has the world's largest paper and electronic copy of anti-Mormon publications in the world. But, nobody is employed to read or act upon what is copied and deposited in the archives.

But apparently someone is employed to "track 6,500 anti-Mormon websites."

[_beastie]

This may sound extreme to some, but two defensive responses in particular convince me that those who are truly informed on these matters know that the anti Mormons have "won". They've won not in terms of the emotional stories they tell, but they've won in the recitation of the facts that resulted in loss of faith. Those facts are, except in the most extreme cases such as Ed Decker's, accurate. So what has to happen now is to reduce people's access to those facts (this project linked here) or to find a way to believe despite the truth of those charges (postmodern apologetics, wherein the content of revelation is irrelevant in regards to the nature of the church).

Of course, we will continue to see the spinning that regularly goes on at FAIR and MAD, in which apologists attempt to convince less informed people that the anti's charges are fallacious, because that will work with less informed people who really want to continue believing. But obviously this is not viewed as effective even by believers, else they wouldn't be forced to engage in strategies designed to reduce access to facts or engaging in postmodern apologetics.

[_Mister Scratch]

BYU--or some division of it--has proposed a business plan to help the church. It's goal is akin to the More Good Foundation, that of getting pro-LDS links to the top of all search results pages. You can see the link to the proposal here.

Their outline states, in part, that "the LDS Church tracks about 6,500 anti-LDS Web sites." So much for the FAIRites' denials thereunto. Big Brother, anyone?

At any rate, there are two more utterly priceless quotes in that article. Can you find them?

Please tell us the quotes, Shades!

As for this information, I have to say, I'm not very surprised by this. DCP and others who have long wanted to dismiss stuff such as this "paranoia" and "delusion" have always seemed overly defensive on this topic. Besides, when pressed about his involvement with the SCMC, Prof. Peterson offered up what can only be described as a dishonest spin (i.e., he claimed that it is "a very small clipping service").

So, my question is: Who's doing this monitoring of websites? Is it the SCMC, or some other COB-housed arm of the Church? Given Scottishboy's account, I'm inclined to believe that it is in fact the SCMC who is behind this, and I would not be surprised in the least if they are culling material off the Web to include in their little dossiers. Further, this casts a pretty long shadow across the remarks of some of the folks on the Board Formerly and Ironically Known as FAIR in that thread which asked, "Do the Brethren Monitor this Site?" I would be willing to bet that they---or someone who answers to them---most certainly do.

All in all, this is quite creepy and disquieting.

[_Infymus]

Shades, Scratch - I hope their file on me is so big they need extra file cabinets.

Makes me proud to know I'm being monitored.

I will work hard for several more years to make sure the truth remains out there among the thousands of miss-directions that Allen Wyatt and Daniel Peterson concoct.

I will always be one step behind Daniel documenting his Internet activites in the name of "The One True Church".

So fine - they're watching me - and I'm watching them.

Kinda fun isn't it?

[_Dr. Shades]

But, nobody is employed to read or act upon what is copied and deposited in the archives.

The Strengthening The Membership Committee certainly acts upon what is copied and deposited in the archives. Just ask the September Six.

At any rate, there are two more utterly priceless quotes in that article. Can you find them?

Please tell us the quotes, Shades!

Okay, with the caveat that what's priceless to me may not be priceless to others. But these are the two which stood out:

"Potential converts are abandoning the missionaries once they consult the Internet for more information."

Critics have speculated for years about whether this is the case. Here, at long last, is a church organ officially admitting it!

"Finally, as the world grows increasingly more dangerous, middle- and upper-class people are retreating to gated communities, places that are difficult for missionaries to enter."

WTF?? Aren't there enough lower-class people to keep the missionaries busy for centuries to come? Do lower-class people need salvation any less than middle- and upper-class people?

If middle- and uppper-class people are moving to gated communities, God forbid the missionaries spend their time with lower-class people, apparently!

[_harmony]

But, nobody is employed to read or act upon what is copied and deposited in the archives.

The Strengthening The Membership Committee certainly acts upon what is copied and deposited in the archives. Just ask the September Six.

At any rate, there are two more utterly priceless quotes in that article. Can you find them?

Please tell us the quotes, Shades!

Okay, with the caveat that what's priceless to me may not be priceless to others. But these are the two which stood out:

"Potential converts are abandoning the missionaries once they consult the Internet for more information."

Critics have speculated for years about whether this is the case. Here, at long last, is a church organ officially admitting it!

"Finally, as the world grows increasingly more dangerous, middle- and upper-class people are retreating to gated communities, places that are difficult for missionaries to enter."

WTF?? Aren't there enough lower-class people to keep the missionaries busy for centuries to come? Do lower-class people need salvation any less than middle- and upper-class people?

If middle- and uppper-class people are moving to gated communities, God forbid the missionaries spend their time with lower-class people, apparently!

Tsk, tsk, Shades. This is directly linked to tithing. Rich and middle class people pay more tithing than unemployed or underemployed poor people do. And if the books were open, we'd know this.

[_Dr. Shades]

Tsk, tsk, Shades. This is directly linked to tithing. Rich and middle class people pay more tithing than unemployed or underemployed poor people do. And if the books were open, we'd know this.

Oh, I'm sure we already know this, with or without the books.

But how much time did Jesus spend hunting down the rich?